Who Should You Support In the Israel-Hamas War?
When the Israel - Hamas war escalated and Israel pushed into Palestine searching for Hamas, our friendship with a Muslim family was severed. They were deeply hurt at our silence over the war and the perceived unlimited blind support Christians give to the nation of Israel that ignores the suffering of thousands of Palestinians. But regardless of the nations involved, it is appropriate, just, and faithful to God to evaluate the acts of any war and not just pick a side and give uncritical support.
There is real evil in the world. Evil that makes us cry out for justice and evil that requires us to act to stop or limit it. Jesus prepared us for this reality when he said,
"nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" (Matt. 24:7).
But when I hear of accounts of wars from around the world, I am convinced that humans are deeply untrustworthy to carry out the justice against evil that I crave. Behind every noble motivation for war stated, there are layers of more human and morally impure motives and responses. We can have a conversation trying to identify what is right and what is wrong in each war, but I get overwhelmed at my own inability to evaluate objectively with the limited information I read from news sources that may have their own agendas different than mine.
In the Israel-Hamas war, kidnapping and killing civilians by Hamas was wrong. So is causing the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians by Israel through destruction of homes, forced relocation, and starvation. I don't know the proper path of justice, but I know God sees everything that is happening. Victims of evil can know God has compassion on them and will help them, both Palestinian and Jew (Psalm 10:14). And he will ultimately,
"bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
My response to wars is to pray for God to have compassion on and to take action to protect those suffering. I pray that God will bring perfect justice and hold those accountable who commit evil under the cover of conflict. And I pray that God would soon bring to reality his future promise of turning weapons of war into tools of cultivation of life (Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3). And if it is possible, as far as it depends on me, I try to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18) because Jesus said,
"blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9).
After a few months without talking, our Muslim friends made us a meal during their Ramadan fast. And we were honored to make them a meal to break their fast another night in return. I hope that we will soon be able to discuss each other's thoughts about war and evil and justice and hope in the world. May my reflections on God and war lead me to be a better peacemaker, more willing to trust God for justice, and quicker to forgive.